All of us—consumers, food handlers, and food safety professionals— are subject to the “old habits” syndrome. But we cannot afford to be complacent. To ensure the safety of our food and water supply, we must always look to our past experiences to teach us the best and safest ways to produce, prepare, and store food. Allowing a hot dish to cool on the countertop is no longer advisable; in fact, it can be downright dangerous. This chapter discusses the hazards of continuing old habits for thawing and cooking frozen food with a few illustrations. On March 31, 1986, Oklahoma’s four schools reported an where victims variously reported experiencing nausea, vomiting, cramps, or fever. Many suffered from a combination of two or more symptoms. In all, more than 200 people were stricken with Salmonella food poisoning courtesy of the chicken. In another incident on March 18, 1993, the Cleveland City Health Department began receiving telephone calls from individuals stricken with food poisoning after consuming sandwiches from Danny's Deli. The Ohio Department of Health, which analyzed the suspect meat, reported that it contained a high concentration of Clostridium perfringens, a bacterium known to cause food poisoning and often associated with this type of outbreak. These and other reports in the chapter teach us that we must always look to our past experiences to teach us the best and safest ways to produce, prepare, and store food.

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